Blood Hounds
by Gorvar
Summary: A AU tale. What if Fabletown became more involved with the magical creatures of the mundane world? What if one of them was the son of Dracula himself? What if there was a truce between Fabletown, the Vampire Covens and the Knights Templar that kept New York from descending into Chaos? What if a certain infection reached Fabletown and that truce is about to be shattered?
1. Chapter 1: A knock on the door

Rain came down hard on the car's roof as it's occupant waited for his back-up. The man, a rather pale but handsome looking fellow with red eyes and long white hair, looked to his watch. 3 AM, fifteen minutes after he called his boss.  
"Come on Bigby..." the white man muttered. As if by coincidence there was a knock on his car's window before it opened and another man took his seat next to him.  
"This better be good, Al." the hairy man in a trench coat said as he closed the door, a irritable frown on his face." Snow hates being woken up early in the morning..and same goes double for me."  
"I wouldn't ask you to run through weather when it's raining cats and dogs and away from your wife's bed if it wasn't important, Bigby." Al replied.

Bigby merely stared at his companion." Did you just do a pun?" "Sorry, I forget 3 o'clock isnt your brightest moment of the day." Al smirked. Before his boss could retort he offered him a box of cigarettes and a lighter. This put Bigby at ease as he immidiatly took a cigarette and lit one up. The sherrif of Fabletown exhaled the gray smoke.  
"Still coming out of your pay cheque." he inhaled and exhaled again."What do you have for me?"  
Al pointed through the window toward the end of Bullfinch street. Bigby followed his deputy's movement and saw a strange sight. Several men and women were stood in plain sight in the middle of the downpour, staring at the Woodlands appartment building. They remained motionless and Bigby noticed they werent even breathing.

"Those aren't mundies, are they?" Bigby asked but already knew the answer.  
"No. Those are vampires, Fledglings I wager." Al lit one cigarette up himself." Thing is, I dont recognise their coven. No symbols or anything. They came one by one and stopped near the wards Totenkinder and Greenleaf set up after the Bluebeard Accord."  
"So these aren't Prince Halmadir's lot?" Bigby asked to which Al could only shrug." In that case, let's go say hi."

Both doused their cigarettes and stepped outside in the pouring rain. Like his boss, Al wore a similar trench coat but where Bigby's was in gray, his was in black. Normally he would also wear sunglasses in the daytime to hide his red eyes despite numerious suggestions he should wear lenses. The duo made their way to the small assembly of fledling vampires. Up close they seemed more worse for wear than imagined. Their clothes were tattered, bloody in some cases, with some missing hair or noses. The Embrace had not been kind to them.

Bigby looked to Al and vice versa. Something was wrong. Al looked back to the assembled small group before he spoke. "Fellow kindred, I know you are new to this world and you dont know what is happening to you. But I must ask you in accordance to the Bluebeard Accord that you turn around now and go see Prince Halmadir at Hell's Kitchen. He will help you with choosing your Houses and assigning Mentors but Fabletown is off-limits for those non-authorized to-" One of the fletchlings tried to claw at him but shirked as the invisible ward seemed to hurt her.

"Well, that went well..." Bigby pulled his trench coat closer.  
"I dont...Bigby, I dont think these kindred are sentient."  
Bigby nodded." Now you mention it, it looks like the lights are on but nobody is home." he sniffed, his superior sense of smell being able to get through the rain." These are fresh, some hours old..." he sniffed again. His visage shifted from curiosity to hatred." They smell wrong."  
Al peered closer and noticed the traditional bites on the neck were absent. Instead he saw a strange triangular shaped bite under the chin." These were not given the kiss by normal vampires..."  
"They smell WRONG." Bigby added." Something evil is driving them."

The female screamed again before she opened her mouth...and a long tentacle came out and lashed at Bigby. Thankfully the sherrif of Fabletown had fast reflexes and snatched the tongue with his bare-hand. The tongue seemed to have a stonger at the end that snapped at Bigby. Al reacted quick and drew the silver sword from his sheath and sliced the appendage off. The female shrieked again as it fell over as blood rained down from its severed tongue. Before the other four could react, the Sherrif and his deputy jumped on them. Bigby threw off his coat as he became larger, fur covered him everywhere and his face contorted to that of a wolf. He lunged at one of the turned and ripped him apart with his claws. Al swung his blade around and effortlessly beheaded another looked after his deputy and fought back to the stinger-tongues and slicing them or limbs or heads.

The skirmish was short and bloody but in the end Fabletown's law enforcement stood turned back into his normal form and gladly took his coat when Al offered it to him. The sherrif panted heavily and walked over to the "I am the Eggman Diner" where in the clear spot he lit a cigarette. Al cleansed his silver sword and walked over to his boss as he stepped over the body parts. Al also lit one up and leaned on the wall as the fure burned out of his lungs. "I dont know what those were, but they weren't Vampires. Not from any Coven I know about."  
Bigby nodded." Same..." he waited a moment." We move the bodies to the Buisiness Office, we'll get Swineheart and Greenleaf to do a autopsy tommorow."  
"Wouldn't Totenkinder be a better choice, boss?" Al tapped his finger on the cigarette so the ash could fall off.

"I dont trust her, not one bit." Bigby replied before he had another pull from his cigarette." Peter Dainson is studying mundy magical creatures isn't he? What about him?"  
Al exhaled. "I find anyone having Tinker Bell as a mentor not to be a trained properly in such matters."  
"Fine, we get Totenkinder and Dainson. Now nobody's happy." Bigby threw his down and stomped it flat.  
"Fine by me..." Al followed his example." Elephant in the room time, the Templars?"  
"You are sleeping with one of them, you tell me." Bigby coughed and thumped his chest.

Al dusted himself off. "In that case, same as you with Snow. Tell her and she will decide whatever or not to inform her there is a new Coven like this that doesnt play by the Accord rules, they have to be warned in the least."  
"Explode the keg early so it doesn't build up and blow up in our face..." Bigby nodded." Right, let's get these corpses moving."  
Al sighed and rolled up his sleeves." Cant we call Flycatcher or Boy Blue to help?"  
"What's the matter, the Prince doesnt feel like working tonight?" Bigby picked up a corpse by it's elbows as Al picked it up by the legs.  
"I'm merely asking since I know you have a busy day tommorow. With crossdressing as old women and laying in bed all day." Alucard opened the trunk of the car.  
"Says the man who named himself by spelling his father's name backwards. On three." On the third swing they dropped the first corpse in the trunk.  
"Weak rebuttal there, Bigby." both moved to the next corpse.  
"Shut up."


	2. Chapter 2: Sickness spreads

The rain was seizing which made the infrared work slightly better.  
Myrande and her fellow Templars observed the transaction that was going down below. A group of men in suits, of Middle-Eastern origins, were speaking to one of the vampires "on loan" from Prince Halmadir himself. The vampire in question was one of the Nosferatu, outcasts even among their fellow kindred. This one however managed to catch the prince's eye and has been his double agent on several occasions, such as this.  
Halmadir had a reason to believe that the Followers of Seth, a Vampire clan from Egypt, was planning to make a headquarters for themselves in New York and were looking for a suitable location and a possible blood farm so their number wouldn't have to feed off the local populace and thus alert House Ventrue.  
House Ventrue of course could not allow that so a covert operation was made in co-operation with the Knights Templar. So now Myranda and her fellow brothers were hidden among the rooftops of warehouses around the docks and waited for the ideal time to strike. The moment the hands were shook, was go time.

"Thank god for the Bluebeard Accord…" Myranda's partner, Brother Ulric, said." It would've taken us weeks to find these fangers and their hideouts but instead we can nip this in the bud."  
"Fabletown made our job a lot easier, I admit." Myranda replied as she zoomed her visor in.  
The thermal scan told her that of the meeting, only one vampire was present and that was Caliban, the Nosfaratu. It made sense that the Sethites would send their human handlers to deal with a potential hostile meeting.  
Pawns always go first, her mother used to say, both in chess and the vampire slaying business. Myranda was the 6th generation of Harkers who did battle with the vampires and only the 2nd who enlisted in the Knights Templar.  
Like all Harkers she had brown hair, she kept hers short, same goes with her eyes. However unlike her ancestor Jonathan Harker, she was more athletically built as her many hours of training and slaying had her body molded into its peak condition  
Her combat armour was dark, much like a SWAT teams, save for the Templar cross on the spot where her heart was. They had silver swords, which were deadlier to vampires than stakes, and rifles with silver bullets which a few hours ago had been blessed by a priest. And of course a side arm for more the not so supernatural menaces.

Myranda listened to the com chatter in her earpiece as Caliban shook hands with one of the human servants of the Sethites." Heads up, Ulric." She patted his shoulder and pulled out her pistol." We're going in."  
As they got up the com nearly erupted." Hold on, we got a third party."  
"Where?" another voice asked.  
"Contact, north side." One of the spotters shouted.  
She turned her head north as she zoomed her visor in on the new comer. The thermal readings went out of the roof with a body temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. He moved rather sluggishly but seemed to pick up the pace when it saw the small group. "Myra, zoom in." Ulric whispered." You are never going to believe this." She zoomed in further.  
Inside the body there were dozens upon dozens of moving…things. Worms of some kind.  
"What the hell is that…?" Myranda cursed as Ulric made a quick cross.  
She pressed her com. "Paladin Cross this is sister Myranda…are you seeing what I'm seeing?"  
"I am, sister." Her mentor said over the chatter, his voice grave but assuring still." This must be some kind of ghoul…or a new breed of vampire. "  
" A vampire, Paladin Cross?" Ulric asked.  
"Yes, but not from any clans or breed I know off. There is a thing like a hot vampire but those are very rare…"  
Myranda gave a small smirk at that comment but kept her eye on the newcomer.

"Is it a Fable?" another brother asked.  
"Negative." Cross replied." Nor is it any creature we have stored in our database. Keep your rifles ready. See how this plays out…"  
And played out it did. The human servants of Seth turned to the newcomer and were shouting, Myranda couldn't hear what. One pulled a gun and fired, but the creature didn't drop. Instead it seemed to lunge back…and spat out its large tongue with a stinger. As the man screamed, Myranda could see with her visor that the creature was sucking blood…and infecting worms into the man's bloodstream.  
A few more cries came as more of these hot vampires came and ambushed the deal. Paladin Cross did not wait." All units, open fire! Open fire! Team Riposte, grab the Nosferatu!"

Myranda and Ulric sprang into action and parkoured themselves off the building they were on and ran for the misshapen vampire. Once they hit the ground, the two Templars raised their rifles and stepped closer toward the carnage. Their brothers and sisters were firing at the hot vampires and the newly infected humans, thankfully silver seemed to hurt them. Caliban ran toward them as three of the stinger vampires ran after him, his vampire gift of speed being the only reason he managed to outrun the apparent ambush.  
"Get out of the way!" Myranda shouted and pushed the Nosferatu aside and opened fire on his pursuers. The silver bullets pushed them back and a headshot did kill them. One of them came close and lurched back before it spat it's stinger tongue at her. The Harker Templar quickly jumped back and kept firing until her attacker lay dead. She sighed of relief before she turned to Caliban." Sorry about earlier, you alright?"  
The vampire nodded as Ulric checked him over." Caliban is fine, yes." He pushed Ulric's hand away.  
Myranda activated her com." Paladin Cross, we got the package."  
"Good job, don't let him run yet. We need to ask him some questions first." 

A hour later Myranda was on her way home, a thousand thoughts running through her mind. The bodies, including that of the infected, were sealed up and shipped to the Templar Headquarters in Hell's Kitchen for study. No-one, not even the Seer, knew what kind of creature they faced. This was obviously a vampire but it was unlike any other they faced. Caliban never saw this breed before either. The only information he had was that his clan heard 'rumours'. According to clan Nosferatu, disappearances both human and kindred started around the time that strange plane accident occurred a few days back.  
She recalled that news when she saw it on tv. A airplane landed in JFK airport but it went dark the moment it landed. No lights, no sound, nothing. The CDC had a official claim that everyone, save for four people, had died of some kind of oxygen loss or poison gas, she couldn't recall. The Grandmaster had send several of her brothers to keep an eye on the survivors but reported nothing unusual yet.  
"We'll call it for tonight then…" Cross replied, his white beard giving him a sage like mane." Get some rest people. If we're lucky this is just a freak occurrence that is easily dealt with if not…" he paused." We do the duty god handed us. Dismissed."

She arrived at her apartment and closed the door behind her. She sighed of relief…but quickly stopped when she felt she wasn't alone. Harker paranoia, some called it. She looked down and saw wet foot prints leading into her kitchen where a noise came as if someone was shuffling glasses.  
Slowly she pulled out her knife and tip-toed to the kitchen. She kept her heart beat steady as she peered around the corner. A man with white hair in a black coat was stood in front of the fridge and seemed to root through it, making a bit of noise. Slowly she sneaked over, step by step. She kept her heartbeat slow and steady and held her knife at the ready.  
As the white haired man stood up and lunged in and poked the knife in his back. A wry grin appeared on her lips." You're dead."  
The white haired man turned, his hands in the air. His right hand revealed a small plastic bag with a red fluid in it…and a straw.  
"Oh dear, I'm afraid you have me officer." The man said in a insincere tone." What ever shall you do?"

"I'm afraid I will have to take you downtown, for questioning." Myranda replied and she grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him in…for a kiss. The man returned the kiss and placed his blood drink down as she put her knife away. They broke off.  
"Good morning to you to, Miss Harker." He held her hands.  
"Good morning to you, Prince Alucard." She smiled and kissed him again before she opened the fridge and took a can of beer." When did you get in, babe?"  
"Just now, me and Bigby had a bit of a skirmish tonight." Al replied as he picked the straw through the plastic bag and drank it's bloody contents." Some strange kind of vampire popped up and attacked us."  
Myranda opened her can of beer but stopped after what her lover said." You had them to?"  
He frowned." Stinger tongues, bit sluggish?"  
She nodded." Except the sluggish part, at first they were but then they hauled ass. Took several rounds of blessed silver bullets to get them down. Headshots to finish them."  
"Me and Bigby had the same thing. Rather he ripped them apart and I sliced them apart. Well good, spares me the effort of convincing you of their existence, my dear." He drank some more blood." Snow White wants to call you in for the autopsy tomorrow morning."

"The Snow Queen mentioned me specifically? I feel honoured." She rolled her eyes before she drank her beer.  
"Well, someone from the Templar Order. Might as well be you. In fact…" he wrapped his arm around her waist." I prefer if it is you."  
"Oh how so?" she strayed his cheek.  
"Well you had combat experience with them, you are quite intelligent…and you have a nice bottom I can stare at." He added the last with a cheeky laugh.  
She mock slapped him." You pig."  
"Swineheart will be there actually, not sure about Colin…" Al replied." So since it is a few hours before we have to be at the Business office…how about we get some rest or…" he placed his fingers near her chin and moved them downward to her bosom." Indulge in some carnal matters?"  
Her reply came in a pull to her lips before she pushed him to the ground, him muttering a oh dear, and took him right there and then. Unlike her lover she didn't waste much time on words but rather acted. After all, she was a Harker.


	3. Chapter 3: Body of proof

"Rock star Gabriel Bolivar, one of the four survivors of the air plane accident a few days ago, has sold four times as many records since his near death experience. However according due to health issues his upcoming concert has been postponed." A news reader said as the tv played, barely audible over the thumping and moans of the passionate couple on the nearby bed." Together with attorney Joan Luss they are filing a lawsuit towards the airplane company. In other news numerous disappearances…"

He was holding his lover's hips as she rode him, screaming his name as he moved with her. He had a girlfriend before yeah but this was different, fantastic on a whole new level. Not only was his lover his mentor in all things magic, not only was she FANTASTIC at what she did, who she was drove him to the edge as well. Peter couldn't believe this was happening even after it happened ever since he began being tutored by her; he was sleeping with Tinker Bell! TINKER BELL of Peter Pan fame. It started last night when the rain came down hard still. They were supposed to do research together on how some Mundies were able to use magic and others didn't.

"The mundane world is a microcosms of the Homelands." She said in between kisses and state of undress." The fact that most of our tales are known her implies some kind of sympathetic magic that bleeds through realms."  
"Is it true the more popular a Fable is, the stronger they are?" he pushed her down on the bed before he kissed her neck and went downward.  
"Yes and no…" she moaned." Fables like Bigby are more well-known and power full but others like Totenkinder are almost unknown and yet possess powerful magic."  
"Maybe it's like a solar panel?" he undid her green robe with a butterfly motif." Some manage to catch sympathetic magic better than others?"  
"Full marks for the student." She giggled and pulled him in for a kiss.

One theory was that those mundies who were able to do magic had some Fable DNA in them. In Peter's own case his grandfather was Hadgar Dainson, one of the Seven dwarves of Snow White fame. Likewise several other more…amorous Fables spread their seed around in the mundy which sometimes resulted in a bastard birth that was only found out three generations later. However some of Fabletown's earliest mundy refugees who fled the Salem witch trials had no such parentage. The few magical creatures that still lived in this mundane world, like Nick Slick and Grandfather Oak who lived near the Farm, claimed that more magic existed but due to humanity's obsession with technology it began to dwindle. The remaining constants were the vampire and lycan populations that somehow managed to stay afloat for so long. Possibly the fact mundies loved their tale of vampires and werewolves so much they were kept alive because of it.  
Tinker Bell believed, much like most residents of the 13th floor, that because this world's magic is so meager that anyone who would be blessed with magic could be on par or even stronger than any warlock or wizard back in the Homelands because the magic did not have to be shared. Some mundies would go through their entire lives without realizing they have magic. Explaining happy or unhappy circumstances on luck.  
"Oh, Peter!" she cried." Oh, Peter YES! 

Mundies wizards, she explained, were probably also quite powerful because like all mundies were quite mortal. They burn short but yet so bright.  
With a final cry from both they were spend. The blonde haired, blue eyed lithe beauty rested her head on his hairy chest, a sad gift from his grandfather's dwarven side, as both caught their breath.  
"That was…" he panted." Good."  
Tink nodded and kissed his nose." Good." She said with a giggle and jumped up." Let's go again!"  
Peter blinked." Tink, as much as I love this we've been going at it for…" he looked for his watch which was thrown at the side." Seven hours?!"  
"Oh, it's six o'clock already?" she pouted, her big smile turning to a permanent scowl." Damnit, I have a meeting with Ozma, that bitch."

She threw the covers off and angrily went to the shower. Despite her human sized glamour, she still only had room in her tiny heart for one emotion at a time. Lust or love was now replaced by anger it seemed. Peter sighed and rested his head on the pillow as the sunrays came in through the window. He was grateful for the small respite at least. Tink came back to grab some clean clothes." Clean up after your mess, would you?" she nearly snapped and stormed back to the bath room." Hello Al" she said and slammed the door shut behind her.  
Peter snapped to attention and put his glasses on as he sat up. And there he was, Alucard himself was seated near his doctorate project, reading its contents.  
"Holy shit!" Peter exclaimed." Alucard?!"  
"The one and only." Al said and flicked a page over." Mundy-Magic relations interesting…" he smirked." In all meanings of the term."  
Peter groaned annoyed." Why are you here?"  
"I left you several messages on your answering machine, Peter. Get dressed and oh…have you eaten anything this morning?" Peter shook his head." Good, it might help!"

A quick shower later, both men were stood in the elevator. Peter wore some normal baggy trousers with a T-shirt, Jurassic Park, and a small vest with pouches. He adjusted his glasses, some embarrassment still on his face. Al lit a cigarette and had a pull. He offered one to Peter who refused.  
"You know…" the vampire began. "Once Peter Pan comes back, he is going to kick your ass."  
"Maybe." Peter said." But unlike him I actually care about Tink."  
"Several times a night even." Al smirked.  
"Oh shut up." Peter rolled his eyes." Look I know she had mood swings, but she's a good woman. Kind. Gentle. A fury when she needs to be."  
"You love her?" Al turned to him.  
"Yeah…" Peter smiled." I think I do."  
"Does Tinker Bell?"  
There was a small uncomfortable silence.  
"Look if it matters…I think you two are good together." Al said.  
"Yeah?" Peter asked to which the vampire nodded.  
"Bit of a expert in that regard, who got Bigby and Snow together? If it weren't for me they would still be pining…"  
"Would've been awfull…" Peter agreed.

"So…" Al tapped some ash off." According to the Fables gaining more power theory-"  
"It's a theory unless we can prove it, yes." Peter interjected.  
"After that 'Hook' movie, Pan will be more powered up. Right?"  
"Maybe…." Peter leaned back as well." Depends how popular it was. Who was the director?"  
Al motioned to Peter's Jurassic Park T-shirt. "Spielberg."  
Peter sighed." Oh fuck…"

An hour later in the business office, Peter in a fully covered HAZMAT suit (that he cast some protection spells on just to be sure) picked up a scalpel and began digging into the corpse.  
Buffkin the blue furred and winged ape assisted with handing Peter his instruments. Deputy Mayor Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Alucard, Huntress Harker and two witches, Totenkinder and Aunty Greenleaf Pete wagered, were stood away with some distance as the bloody work began.  
"Well this is curious…" Peter frowned as he opened the slain vampire's maw." Anyone seen the movie, Alien?"  
Snow White frowned." Be serious, Mr Dainson."  
"I am Miss White." Peter replied. With a tong he took a hold of the creature's tongue and pulled it out…and out, and out.  
"Oh my god…" Greenleaf muttered.  
"What is it, dear?" Totenkinder turned to her fellow-witch." Can't stomach 13th floor business?"  
Greenleaf frowned. "You wish."

Snow White turned to her husband." You said these things used those tongues to infect people?"  
"It tried to attack me with it, Snow." Bigby replied." But what Sister Myranda says is true, I think so."  
"It is, deputy mayor." Myranda said, dressed in a formal business suit attire." I saw them infect their prey with those worms that come from within the body. The Knights Templar also believe that even non-humans may get infected."  
Snow frowned. "Non-humans?"  
"It tried to go after a vampire, more I am not at liberty to say." Myranda replied.  
Bigby nodded." She has a point snow. Those things came after me and Alucard. Even when I went part wolf they came after me."  
Peter took out a piece of worm from the corpse and placed it on a petri dish Buffkin quickly sealed up and flew off." Alright here we go…" Peter said as he continued his incisions. As he cut the chest cavity open, a horrible smell erupted into the room. Snow immediately covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief as did Aunt Greenleaf. Alucard winced at the smell while Bigby, Totenkinder and Myranda seemed unphased by it. Bigby turned." You alright, Snow?"  
She nodded." Yeah….you would think after seeing the horrors the Crooked Man did on those women, you would get used to sights like this."  
"You never get used to it, Deputy Mayor." Totenkinder said." The moment you do you lose a part of yourself you might never get back."

Peter frowned as he dug through the body. After he was done stitching it back up he moved to the crowd.  
"Okay so…here's the rub. This…thing is a vampire like I've never seen." He took off his headpiece." This thing has no genitals."  
The crowd blinked.  
"No what?" Alucard asked.  
"No genitals." Peter replied." Also the internal organs are…molten into one big stomach like thing. Fingernails are dropping off, hair…it's like it's-"

"Shedding off body parts that are obsolete to its new life cycle." A new voice rang through the room.  
The crowd gathered turned quickly behind them as they saw a pale man with auburn hair and purple eyes in fine garb was seated in Snow White's chair as he was drinking a cup of tea.  
Bigby growled and came closer but was stopped when Snow placed her hand on his shoulder. " Mr Everheart." The door to the Business Office burst open as Grimble and Trusty John came through but they to were called off by Snow White." What brings you here, as if I couldn't tell?"  
Everheart finished his tea." What you found here my dear friends, is a Strigoi. A ancient threat we thought was gone a long, long time ago…the Prince would like to have a word with you all."


End file.
